Lessons
by Dagniro Vanaliel
Summary: The Doctor takes on another companion along with Martha and Jack. She's sixteen, hates the world, and would really rather not be there. But she has nowhere else to go, and an important lesson to learn... UPDATED!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Lessons

Author: DagniroVanaliel

Summary: The Doctor takes on another companion. She's sixteen, hates the world, and would really

rather not be there. But she has nowhere else to go, and an important lesson to learn...

Disclaimer: _Doctor Who_ and everything related to it belongs to the BBC and... well, let's just say it doesn't belong to me.

Feedback: Any and all, please.

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

There's this girl, right? This perfectly ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. It's one of those stories--typical human girl finds out about a larger world and goes off to have some wonderful adventures, meet lots of new friends, and save the universe from time to time.

Wrong. That's not one of those stories.

Anyway, I was this perfectly ordinary sixteen-year-old girl from Nowheresville, Kansas. I had a couple friends, a crap life, and a talent for getting out of trouble. Getting into trouble, that's the easy part; anyone can do it. It takes a certain finesse to not get caught or, conversely, get caught and not have anything happen to you.

I constantly cut school, shoplifted, graffitied buildings, did all sorts of stupid teenage misdemeanors. It wasn't even an escape from homelife. Because I think that, compared with my friends (or at least the people I hung out with) I had it pretty good. My mom and dad cared about me and my brother annoyed me. Come to think of it, everyone annoyed me.

I was not the happiest person in the world.

So it came as a real shock one day when I woke up and... everything was gone. My family, my friends, everyone who had ever acknowledged my existance and cared (namely my family and the three people who ran from the cops with me) had been wiped off the face of the Earth. Those who still existed couldn't see me.

And then I saw it.

A blue box.

Yeah. Here's the part of the story where our heroine is swept away into the magical world of space travel and time travel and aliens and life-or-death and she falls in love and saves the world. And in the end she is regarded as this great hero who saved so many lives and taught so many people the meaning of living life to the fullest, until she sadly departs...

Wow, you really suck at this, don't you? Because that's still not me, and that's still not my story.

This is actually the part where a tall, slim man in a pinstripe suit steps out and says his first word to me:

"Oops."

He's got a sort of British accent.

From there I learn that there was a paradox centred around me, and if he hadn't intervened I would have died. Instead, he jerked me out of this reality and into another and I could never see my friends or family again and I was probably going to die anyway so d'you want to come with me?

By this point my entire head was spinning. Everything... was gone. Gone, like that. Everything I'd ever known was gone, and I realized that I hadn't really hated my life and now I felt like a terrible person. But since no one can see me or notice my presence, and since I realized I didn't really want to die after all, and since I was sixteen and had no money or anywhere else to go, I agreed.

I told him I was eighteen. He still doesn't know it was a lie.

So he takes me with him in his spaceship, because it is a spaceship, bigger on the inside than the outside and for some reason that doesn't really bother me. He says his name is the Doctor and he's an alien and that doesn't really bother me either. And he introduces me to his two friends, an American man called Captain Jack Harkness and a black girl from London named Martha Jones.

"Hi," I say, feeling kind of stupid. "I'm Katie." Because my name really is Katie and I don't feel like giving my last name. I never use it anyway.

They smile, kind of thin-lipped. _Who is this interloper? _I can almost hear them thinking.

"Katie's the girl I was telling you about," the Doctor says. I wonder what he was saying about me, but then decide it doesn't really matter.

I see them exchange a glance, and I'm pretty sure no one's ever reacted like this to the Doctor and his ship. He calls it the TARDIS. I wonder briefly what that stands for, then shake my head as I figure it might not stand for anything after all and asking might be an insult.

And then I wonder why I care.

"Er... right. There's a room down that way you can have," the Doctor says nervously. "Jack, will you show her...?"

And the man called Captain Jack nods and leads me out. And I wonder again why I can't be more stunned and amazed and thrilled with it all, but I'm not, and for some reason that worries me.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

* * *

The room the man called Captain Jack shows me is, amazingly enough, rather nice. You might expect someone like me to prefer living in pitch black, but I don't. It makes me feel like I'm suffocating, or drowning, and I can't breathe and feel like passing out. I hate the dark.

No; the room is all browns and greens, earthy colours, and plain wood furniture. It's beautiful. There are no windows, of course, but artificial sunlight seems to stream in from somewhere anyway. There's a big, heavy wardrobe in one corner with nothing in it, but I didn't expect rows of clothing anyway. An old-fashioned vanity sits across from it, and I fold up the mirrors. Jessica once told me I was like a vampire--I couldn't see my reflection in mirrors or appear on camera film (though that one might have been her own invention, I'm not sure), and that's why I hate mirrors and taking pictures.

The bed itself is huge. King-sized or bigger, with lots of pillows in browns and golds and greens. The comforter is a forest-green colour with a gold overlay and a pattern of very faint brown-gold leaf prints. The sheets are tan.

Jack tells me to go to sleep. He says I need it, because my body needs rest after everything the Doctor's put it through. I give him a confused look. "The Paradox," he attepts to explain. "The Doctor had to get rid of it, and though you may not know it, it put a lot of strain on your body."

I nod, like this all makes sense, and pretend I'm going to bed.

What I actually do is sneak out of my room and go to eavesdrop on the Doctor, Jack, and Martha.

* * *

I find them sitting around in a sort of den area, talking about... well... me.

And this isn't one of these moments where the person (i.e. me) thinks she hears the others (i.e. the Doctor, Jack, and Martha) talking about her and saying "we can't keep her here, we have to get rid of her, this is no place for a child!" when in reality the others are talking about a puppy.

I know for a fact they're talking about me.

"So... what do we do for her?" I hear Martha say. "Jack, she's resting, right?" Jack shrugs.

"I told her to, at least," he says. "Whether or not she listened to me is another matter entirely."

"And there's the matter of Katie's first trip," the Doctor puts in. "What do you think, past or future?" I blink.

Yeah, the Doctor said it was a time machine, I know. But actually hearing them talk about it like that is a totally different matter. Martha and Jack glance at each other.

"Past," Martha decides. "Jack, you're the former Time Agent, what do you think?"

_Time Agent? _What does that mean?

"Past sounds good," he agrees. Is it just me, or does he sound a little distracted. "Doctor?"

"Right. Katie's trip of initiation will be to the past. Italian Renaissance? The TARDIS said she's picking up a disturbance out there. Alien activity. Nothing too major, but it should be a good time. Besides, meeting artists might be a nice change of pace from the mad scientists."

A bit of laughter follows this, as the others agree, and it's settled. They're taking me to the Italian Renaissance. To meet artists.

Except that I'm not supposed to know about that. I'm supposed to be asleep, I remember. So before they notice I'm listening in to their conversation, I slip back to my room and dive under the covers.

I may not strike you as the artsy type, but I've never really gotten the opportunity to try it out. Who knows, maybe that's something I really am good at. Or maybe just another thing for me to suck at.

Either way, it's bound to be interesting. I'm still not happy about being here, no more than I was about being stuck in Nowheresville, Kansas, but... It's not like I have much choice.

I realize Jack was right--I _am _tired. Or rather, my body is so exhausted I don't think I can move. And the bed is so comfortable, and my eyelids are so heavy that I feel them close, and I feel my mind drift away and before I know it I'm asleep.

There are no dreams. There never are.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to my reviewers, and the next chapter is here. It's the end of the school year, so updates might come slower, but they'll speed up once school's out.

Also: I'm looking for someone to beta-read: Check for grammar and punctuation slips (and, if you're brave, plot and characterizations problems). If you're interested, my email is in my profile.

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

"Katie!" I wake to someone pounding on a door and shouting my name. It takes a moment for me to remember where I am and what happened.

Oh, yeah. That.

It comes back in a rush--Losing everything, meeting these complete strangers, lying about my age... not to mention the alien and the space-and-time ship that's bigger on the inside...

"What?" I yell back. I don't really care if I sound rude.

"It's a surprise! Get up!" Grumbling, I drag myself out of the bed and fling the door open, nearly smashing the man called Captain Jack's nose in.

"Yes. Fine. I'm up. Whaddaya want?" I know I sound bitchy and irritable, and I sort of regret my tone the moment the words come out. Learn something new every day, I guess. "Uh..."

Jack doesn't seem to notice or care, though there's a flicker of something crossing his face. I think I need to learn how to read others' emotions.

Maybe later.

"We're here, Katie," he tells me. I blink. "Your first trip."

Ah. "And you made me _sleep _first?" Jack shrugs. "All right. Whatever. Where are we?"

"Italy. Renaissance," he says, and I nod. Vaguely, I notice how sad it is that travelling in time can't rouse any emotion in me besides nonchalence, but I can't even bring myself to act. And that's supposed to be my strong suit--it's how I've managed to stay out of juvie, after all.

I begin to walk out, but Jack stops me. "Hold on. Wardrobe." He trattles off a a set of complicated instructions that all go right over my head.

"Uh..." I stare at him with my mouth gaping open and a clueless look on my face. I'm pretty sure I look like a fish, and a drowned fish at that.

But Jack just laughs. "Not so good with directions?" I glare at him irritably. I am NOT in the mood for this. "It's all right," Jack says. "Go straight that way and take the thrid left, and it'll be the second door on the right. Shortcut. Nearly murdered the Doctor when I found out about it."

I giggle despite myself. Yes, giggle. Whatever happened must have scrambled my brains. "What do I look for?" I ask. "I 'm not exactly a fashion icon, and I pretty much failed every history class I've ever taken." It's the truth. I'm normally in ripped blue jeans, sneakers, and an old t-shirt. Like now. Not to mention the fact that I'm a terrible student at the best of times, and at the worst, I just don't bother showing up.

"Look under 'R' for 'Renaissance'," Jack tells me. "Go on, get moving. Oh," he stops me as I begin to take off, "don't tell the Doctor you failed history."

* * *

The dress I pick is deep gold and fairly comfortable. And the skirt is long enough that I can wear my sneakers, which I like. I can't stand heels--they make me feel like I'm about to fall over. I much prefer my sneakers or flats. You can run in those.

I join the others in the control room. Jack and the Doctor are in their usual clothes (or at least, I don't think that the Doctor's wearing a twenty-first-century suit and tie to blend in, or that the Captain's coat and military-type uniform from the 1940s is normal for the Renaissance). Martha, on the other hand, did take a trip to the wardrobe.

So it's just the girls who get to play dress-up. Got it.

She looks stunning, really. Her hair is in this fancy design and twisted on top of her head with little jeweled pins. Her dress is a deep wine color that complements her dark skin and black hair. She's wearing these tall black heels and seems to tower over me. Or rather, she _does _tower over me; I've always been short. I feel kind of childish and dumb next to her.

As for me? I decided I didn't like the forty-seven underskirts and chopped most of them off. I figured the Doctor wouldn't care--he doesn't seem the type to wear such stuff--and I didn't really care if he minded or not. Plus, it's easier to move. As for my hair? It's down, for once. I have really boring straight-brown hair almost halfway down my back.

So, that's us. The Doctor looks...normal (for him, at least), Jack looks like an old-fashioned Captain, Martha looks stunning, and I look like a poor imitation.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

* * *

We leave the ship called the TARDIS parked in an alley. It still looks like a blue police box, and I wonder if anyone who sees it would find it odd. I figure it's one of the Doctor's things, the ability to make a ridiculously obvious and out-of-its-time blue box seem perfectly normal. 

The other three stroll down the street casually. Martha has her arm looped through the Doctor's, with the man called Captain Jack walking on her other side. They're laughing and joking and chatting about something or other and I follow silently in their wake. I'm too busy glancing around to care much.

I suppose the locals figure they're tourists or something--I dunno, were there tourists in these days?

But even this period must have its eccentrics. A lot of them, apparently, as we pass a group of people discusing... Philosophy? Why would anyone _want _to contemplate life? It usually makes my head feel like imploding.

I run a bit to catch up.

"So, what do you think?" the Doctor asks, falling back to walk next to me. He's got this huge grin on his face. I smile slightly, and it feels forced.

"It's... I don't know," I say honestly. "I mean, it really shouldn't be possible, but it is, and I'm not freaked out. I'm in the Italian Renaissance, and it isn't..."

"Isn't what?" He looks fairly concerned, but still smiling. I shrug.

"Not sure, really. I'll let you know when I figure it out."

He nods. "Take your time," he says with a surprising amount of patience. "For now, just enjoy yourself, okay?"

I shrug again, slightly, and offer him a small smile. This time, it doesn't feel as forced. "Okay," I say, and he grins.

"Good. Have fun, Katie. Just... Enjoy it. You're in the Renaissance. Not many people can say that!"

We catch up with Martha and the man called Captain Jack. I end up falling behind again.

_Enjoy yourself..._

I do make an effort. Honestly, I try. But I just can't find the same enthusiasm the Doctor has. And I don't understand why.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

That's what I get for not paying attention, I suppose.

Because the Doctor, the man called Captain Jack, and Martha apparently turned a corner or something... and I have no idea where they've gone. So now I'm lost in Renaissance Italy. Go me, I guess.

I continue walking, partly because no one ever taught me to stay put if you get lost, but mainly because I'm trying to find something that'll interest me. Not having much luck so far, but there _has _to be something. Anything. Anything remotely interesting and able to provoke emotion.

Naturally, I'm still not paying a bit of attention to where I'm going and end up crashing headlong into... Someone.

He's an artist, I think. His fingers are stained and his old, ratty clothes are splattered with paint.

"Um... Sorry," I say, picking myself up off the ground and dusting my skirt off. I hold out a hand to help him up, and he takes it.

The man's age is around thirty, I'd guess, though he looks older.

"Don't worry about it, miss," he says in--what else?--an Italian accent. For a moment I wonder why he seems to be speaking English, then decide it doesn't matter. Probably has to do with the alien Doctor and his alien ship. Which are alien.

And that still isn't amazing.

"So... Artist?" I have almost no reason (or inclination) to strike up a conversation, but I'm sort of bored.

He nods. "Sculptor, painter... Name's Michaelangelo." Oh. Cool, I guess.

"Nice to meet you," I say. "I'm Katie."

He's silent for a moment,as if he wants to ask a question but is worried it'll be rude. Not like anything can really offend me. I have really thick skin and a tendency to not care.

"You visit the marketplace alone?" he asks carefully. I shrug.

"No, actually. I was with these people... Friends, sort of, I guess. But we kind of got separated." Before he can ask any... uncomfortable questions about where did you lose them and what do they look like and hey maybe I can help you, I change the subject. "So, you're an artist? I'd love to see some of your work."

I really wouldn't, but I recognize the name "Michaelangelo" as much as the rest of the English-speaking world, and I figure might as well. Besides, he agrees, which I find a bit strange--don't artists usually prefer privacy? But there's something more to it. Something's not right. I can feel it.

Maybe this is what I'm looking for.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

* * *

"So... You're painting the ceiling." Michaelangelo nods proudly. "It's... pretty. Really pretty."

And it is. Like I said, I'm no art critic. But the effect of a not-quite-finished ceiling--a famous ceiling, no less (I may suck at history, but I'm not totally ignorant. I managed to pay attention in elementary school) is kind of neat. I wonder for a moment if I can convince him to leave it almost-finished as a sort of artistic expression, kind of like modern art.

But this isn't modern art, and he doesn't seem like the type to leave the job unfinished. So I keep my mouth shut.

"Oi! Katie!" I turn around at the sound of my name. The Doctor runs up to me, Martha beside him and the man called Captain Jack following close behind.

"Uh... Hi, guys. Sorry 'bout wandering off... Wait. That's not right. What I meant to say was sorry for not staying put or trying to find you after you LEFT ME."

"Oh, er..." The Doctor looks slightly sheepish. "Yeah. Sorry." He notices Michaelangelo, and grins. "Who's your friend?"

"Um... Oh, right. Doctor, Jack, Martha... This is Michaelangelo. Michaelangelo, the Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, and Martha Jones."

"And this," the Doctor says, spreading his arms in a wide gesture and spinning around, "This must be the Sistine Chapel, am I right?"

"...Yes..." Michaelangelo says.

"And the year is 1509."

"Yes..."

"You've been working on the Chapel for a little over a year."

"Really?" I cut in. "That long?"

"And it's almost completed." The Doctor looks a little nervous. Michaelangelo shrugs and goes off to find his painting supplies. Which works for us, I think, because the Doctor can't really ramble on about history and time lines and aliens with a guy from the Italian Renaissance standing next to him.

"So?" Martha asks.

The Doctor glances around, but Michaelangelo's digging through a pile of something on the other end of the room. "So... It took him four years to finish. Or was supposed to, at least." He shares a glance with Jack, who grins. Martha seems to get the implications, and a moment later, so do I.

Wow. I actually sorta-kinda understand what's going on.

"So, we find whatever is responsible for this, track it down, stop it, and put history back?" I hazard.

"Yep!" the Doctor says, then raises his voice so Michaelangelo can hear. "Right then. It's getting late we should probably be going now."

Though I hardly know this man--this alien (no matter how many times I repeat that to myself it still isn't amazing), I understand sort of what he's meaning. He wants to go back to his ship called the TARDIS and figure out what's going on.

To be honest, I'd prefer to hang out here a while longer and watch Michaelangelo work. On the way over here he told me he works better at night, and I think it might be more interesting than sitting around in the Doctor's ship called the TARDIS and listening to technobabble.

"Uh, Doctor?" I say, "if it's all right with Michaelangelo over there, I think I'd like to stay here. Maybe gain some insight? After all, I hardly need any more sleep, and I'm very interested in... um... art."

Actually, no, I'm not. I don't know what's going through my head right now, but I have this weird feeling that I need to stay here. I remember what the Doctor said about how there's alien activity in the Renaissance and it's Katie's turn to prove herself. Why I need to prove myself is beyond me, because I don't really want to be here in the first place. But I have nowhere else to go, and I might as well do something sort of useful.

The Doctor nods, and Michaelangelo readily agrees.

"If the lady wishes to learn about art, there is no greater tutor than I," he says. I roll my eyes.

"Modest, aren't you?" I ask. He grins.

"Okay," the Doctor interrupts us, "Jack, stay with her?" I shrug, and Jack nods. "Right. Martha and I'll be off. You two--or three, with Michaelangelo here--have fun." He winks and takes off with Martha.

Leaving myself, the man called Captain Jack, and Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel at night with the very strong possibility of aliens.

Why do I get the feeling this is a very bad idea?


	7. Chapter 7

I'm still in the market for a beta... People who are interested, my email is in my profile

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

"Finally," Michaelangelo says as soon as the Doctor and Martha are gone. I stare at him dumbly. "They do not understand, Katie. But I believe you will." 

I shoot a glance at Captain Jack, but he's off examining a column. Why, I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he'd prefer to be somewhere else.

Join the club.

Anyway, Jack's not paying any attention to us, which is just as well, I guess.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, confused. Michaelangelo smiles mysteriously. I think that anyone else would be scared shitless, but I'm not. It takes a lot to scare me.

"Come, Katie. It is nearly nightfall, and we must prepare. There is something great about you."

I know what you're thinking. This is the part where I discover some previously-hidden special power that can save the universe. Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not. I don't have any special powers, and Michaelangelo's not talking about that.

What he _is _talking about becomes apparent pretty quickly, as he closes his eyes and extends his arms toward the ceiling.

"Come to me, Angel," he calls. And from out of the painting comes a shimmering... thing... that lands in front of him and becomes... uh...

I think it's a woman. Though I also think it can't possibly be human.

She looks at me, then at Michaelangelo.

"Who is this?" she cries. "You have brought a mortal into this sacred place! For what purpose?"

"Angel of Art, can you not see it?" he asks.

The woman--I guess--studies me, obviously disapproving. "No. I cannot. This is a mortal female, and a weak one at that."

"Hey!"

She ignores me and continues: "I do not understand what you see in this girl, for I see nothing. Only a little girl."

"What are you?" I turn around to see the man called Captain Jack standing behind me, a completely serious look on his face.

"I am the Angel of Art."

"Right. You're the Angel of Art. Not a very good one, are you, what with showing yourself and all," Jack says.

Michaelangelo whips around and grabs him by the collar. "Do not insult the Immortal!" he snarls. Yes, snarls. It's a very interesting sight. "You do not understand who you deal with!"

I put my hand up tentatively. "Um. Sorry if this sounds dumb, but what does this... immortal... have to do with anything?"

"She has helped me, my Angel of Art," Michaelangelo says, dropping Jack and turning back to me. "She taught me all I know, and she has assisted me."

"No, she hasn't," Jack gasps, massaging his throat. "She will destroy you."

Um. Okay. And how do you figure that?

The Doctor bursts through the doors at a sprint, Martha following a few steps behind. She stops, putting her hands on her knees and gasping for breath, as the Doctor continues over to us.

"Oh, very good. Very good! Brilliant, in fact. I'm the Doctor, by the way," he adds to the Angel, holding out a hand. She shakes it. "And not too bright."

I grimace. Ew. The Angel seems to have left a slimy residue on the Doctor's hand when she shook it, which he is now examining with great interest. "Thanks for that," he says, cheerful despite the obvious disgust on his face.

The Angel shrieks in anger and disappears in a shimmering flash of light that hurts my eyes and my head and blinds me for a few seconds.

I watch as the Doctor pulls out this silver tube with a blue light on the end and waves it over his palm. "Ha!" Then he turns to me. "Katie?"

"Huh? What?" I ask distractedly, blinking and trying to get the light out of my eyes.

"What do you make of this?"

"Angel of Art helping Michaelangelo finish the Sistine Chapel ahead of schedule. I'm thinking alien who has watched _Phantom of the Opera_ one too many times."

He blinks. "_Phantom of the Opera_? How do you figure that?"

"Like... Christine's Angel of Music. Who turned out to be a creepy deformed pervert." He raises an eyebrow. "Not that I think Michaelangelo's Angel is a creepy deformed pervert, but she sure as hell ain't human."

"Not bad," the Doctor says, grinning. "Anything else?"

"My Angel is gone!" Michaelangelo cries. "You! You drove her away! Now my painting will never be complete!"

I tell him, quite politely, to put a sock in it. He looks confused but shuts up.

"Huh," the Doctor says. "He listened to you."

I shrug, and he grins.

"Now that Michaelangelo's Angel has gotten her DNA all over my hand... We can go back to the TARDIS and figure out what the hell she is! Jack, stay with Michaelangelo and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Martha, Katie, come on."

Why me?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

* * *

Honestly, I have absolutely no idea what's going on. For one, it all seems too easy. For another, it's like they planned it. 

Actually, maybe they did. I keep going back to the conversation I overheard, about them testing me. Why I need to be tested, I don't know, but I don't think I'll ever understand them. I'll never understand what they see in time-and-space travel, because it's obvious they chose that life.

As for me, I didn't. It was decided for me. Not that I'm complaining. Not really, anyway.

But it's so strange to see the Doctor and Martha together. She watches him constantly, with this look on her face, and I've seen enough couples to know that she's in love with him.

And he doesn't get it. He doesn't realize what she's feeling, and when he looks at her I don't think he really sees _her_. It's sad, really sad, to watch.

Then again, it isn't my problem. It's theirs. They need to work it out, because I'm not a matchmaker or an advice-person. I'm the useless new-girl who had no choice, isn't happy to be here, and lied.

I lied about everything. I lied about my life (I told them I was this great person with a lot of friends and a really good family life), I lied about my age (I told them I was eighteen instead of sixteen), and I lied about enjoying myself. Because no matter how hard I try, I don't know if I am.

Maybe I am having fun. Maybe I am enjoying this. But it's been so long since I've actually done something that provoked real emotion that I don't think I could recognize it.

"Katie?" The Doctor's voice calling my name jerks me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Do you really have any clue what's going on?"

I shrug. "Do you?" He says nothing, and we walk in silence for a while.

"Katie?"

"What?"

"No. Not really. I don't."

"Me neither," I say, and I wonder if the Doctor just made a hard confession. Or, I dunno, maybe he really is comfortable with the fact that he doesn't know everything. I can't be sure; I haven't exactly known him for long.

We get back to the TARDIS and the Doctor and Martha prattle on about... Something. Still not entirely sure what I'm supposed to be doing. Maybe nothing; maybe everything. For now, though, I'm content to sit in the background and watch.

"Ha! Got it!" the Doctor exclaims happily. Apparently he's taken a sample of the slime and run a DNA scan. But before he can say anything else, a deafening roar fills the air. I run over to the door, throw it open, and...

A pillar of light rises from what I guess must be the Sistine Chapel. Crap. The man called Captain Jack is in there.

"Holy shit!" I mutter, and run out. Why, I don't kknow. Looking back, I think it was a totally idiotic thing to do, but at the time my reaction seemed perfectly natural.

I get there in record time, the others behind me. I'm pretty fast, but I've had a lot of practice running away.

"Hey!" I shout, bursting through the Chapel's doors. The Angel-alien-thing has light--a blinding light--pouring from her hands. Jack is slumped against a pillar, unconscious.

The Angel of Art is distracted just long enough fro the light to stop. She lets out an earsplitting shriek. The Doctor and Martha go to check on Jack while I glare vehemently at the Angel.

She prepares to launch more light for I don't know what purpose. There's this sense of I-have-to-stop-her in my head. Except, I'm fairly clueless.

So I do the only thing I _can _do:

I approach her, smile, and punch her as hard as I can.

A right hook straight to her jaw.

Now, I've gotten into fights. More than I care to remember, and I've had about the same number of wins as losses. I don't expect to win this one.

But, apparently, she's weak. Because she falls, crashing to the ground. I roll her over with my foot, which I then place on her chest to hold her still. She's not getting away from me.

"Hello," I say, and kick her in the ribs. Necessary? No. Therapeutic? A little. But it _did _feel sort of good. I've got way too much pent-up energy right now.

"Doctor?" I call him over. He stands up from where he was examining Jack and grins at me. "She's all yours."

* * *

The rest of the aftermath passes in a blur. I do recall Jack stumbling groggily to his feet, perfectly all right if a bit disoriented. I remember the sound of the Angel standing up, and the sound of running, and then the sound of a blaster. I remember turning around to see Jack standing there, his gun smoldering, and telling me that the Angel tried to kill me. She's dead. 

I don't look at the body.

The Doctor has words with Michaelangelo. I never discover what.

And with everything sorted out, we go back to the ship called the TARDIS.

"Katie?" the Doctor says as we enter, "Welcome to the...team...thing." He grimaces. "Need a better name. But welcome."

I smile. It's not a big smile, granted, but it feels genuine for once. "Thanks."

"And Katie?" he adds, "you've got a hell of a right hook."

For now, I think, it's okay. Not great, but okay, and I think maybe, with time, I can even learn to think of this as home. Or something resembling it, anyway.

Should have known it was too good to last.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

* * *

It's dark. 

Just as it's always been, I think. Darkness and silence clouding my senses. Nothing ever changes.

Except for the voices. The voices are different, but they're familiar, and they're arguing.

I feel pain. Or maybe it isn't pain, but it's uncomfortable. I'm lying on some uneven metal surface, and my head is killing me.

The voices grow louder.

"You shouldn't have come back!" one yells. It's a man's voice, and his accent is English, I think.

"What about you?" the other shouts. He has a deeper, American voice. "You had the chance; why didn't you go after her? Were you too much of a coward--"

A crash follows this, and then silence.

"Don't you dare..." The first man's voice is dangerously quiet.

"Why not?" The American gasps slightly. "You know it's true."

"Shut up! You had the choice--I--"

"The same choice you had. Do you regret yours?"

"I..."

I manage to open my eyes. There's the man called the Doctor, tall and angry and powerful and actually really scary. He's standing over the man called Captain Jack, who's kind of slumped against the wall. And this is the inside of the ship called the TARDIS, which is alien and bigger on the inside.

My head is killing me. I touch the back and look at my hand. It's sticky and red and covered with blood. _My _blood.

I groan loudly in an attempt to get their attention. What I really want to do is yell 'shut the hell up, I'm bleeding over here!' but I don't think that would go over very well and besides I don't think I can string together a coherent enough sentence.

Luckily I don't need to as Jack comes over to check on me.

"She's worse," Jack mutters, helping me sit up. "Now she's bleeding."

"Well, she wouldn't be if _you _hadn't dropped her on the floor of the control room instead of on a bed or a couch or something!"

"And she wouldn't be in this state in the first place if _you _knew how to fly your ship!" They're about to start fighting again and I make a kind of stupid noise of protest. They shut up.

"Jack, get Katie to the MedBay," the Doctor says, pulling his overcoat back on and striding towards the exit. "I'm going back." He turns around and looks at us, his gaze lingering on me and his eyes full of an unbearable amount of pain. "I have to try."

And with that, he's gone.

"Jack?" I ask a few minutes later. I'm sitting on one of the beds in what I guess is the Doctor's first-aid room. He's managed to slow the bleeding from my head and is trying to figure out what to do now.

"Hmm?" he asks, a little distracted.

"What did the Doctor mean, he had to try?"

Jack lets the blood-soaked cloth drop from his hand. "What do you remember?" he asks. I try to look at him, but his hands keep my head still.

I think. "Um... Well... There was Michaelangelo, and this alien Angel thing and we defeated her and then we went back to the ship and Martha asked the Doctor why I needed to be tested but I didn't hear the answer."

"Do you remember what happened after that?"

"Yeah... There was us, the four of us, and we were going... somewhere. Some other planet. I don't remember the name. I don't think I could pronounce it. We went out, and it was a lovely day, only..."

"The Doctor's flight plan got a little messed up," Jack finishes, and I close my eyes.

"Yeah. He was a little off, and I remember these... well, I guess they were alien monsters, but all I saw were black shapes. They seemed to come out of nowhere and I remember a sharp pain in my head, and Martha screaming for the Doctor and the Doctor screaming for Martha and then... Nothing. Darkness."

I open my eyes. "And then I was in the TARDIS and you and the Doctor were fighting."

"They took Martha." I jerk my head out of his hands and whip around to stare at him.

"_What?!_" I half-shout. Jack grabs my head and twists it facing forward again.

"Stay still, or it'll start bleeding again," he says, annoyed. "Yes, they've got Martha. The Doctor went back to get her, just as he should have done before."

"But why--"

"He thinks I should have gone after her, and maybe he's right, but I had to get you back to the ship. And before... I stopped him. There were too many; it was too dangerous. I didn't want him to get himself killed. But now... He had to find her."

"She loves him," I say quietly. I can almost see Jack raising an eyebrow at this. "She does. I've seen the way she looks at him, even if he doesn't."

We're silent for a moment, as Jack continues to try and mop up dried blood. "You've got a hell of a cut here, Katie," he says. "Here, hold this--" I do as he says and press the cloth to the back of my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him go over to a cart.

"Jack, what--"

He comes back over with a small jar of some yellowy goop. "Here, this'll make it stop bleeding completely and should seal the scrape. You're very lucky it wasn't deeper, or you'd need stitches."

Oh. "Good. I hate needles."

The lid comes off the jar and a putrid stench fills the room. "Eurgh!" I grimace. "God, that stinks!"

"Hold still," Jack tells me, and apparently the smell doesn't bother him. "I need to coat the wound with this goop, and then you should be okay."

"You're putting that stuff in my _hair?_" He looks at me.

"Is that okay?"

No, I want to say, it's not. Because it's disgusting and smelly and I really think I could do without it. But I don't think that'd be a good idea, so I nod.

He smears the goop on my head, and I know he's trying not to get too much of it in my hair. Still, I really don't want to smell like this.

"All right. You're fine."

"And Martha?"

Jack stares at me. "What?"

"Martha. The Doctor went to find her. She'll be all right?" I can tell Jack's trying to smile reassuringly, but he's failing miserably. "Fine."

I hop down off the bed and walk out, looking for my jacket.

"Katie? Where are you going?"

To be honest, I don't know. I really don't. I've realized I tend to run headlong into things without thinking, but this time...

"Katie, you're not going after them." I keep walking. "Katie! I mean it! _Katie!_" He swears and runs after me.

"You aren't going out there alone," he says, turning me around to face him. "I can't let you. Especially not in your current state."

I shrug. "I know. That's why you're coming with me." He looks stunned for a moment, then grins and presses something into my hand.

It's a gun. A space gun thing, I think.

"Here," he says. "Spare sonic blaster. You'll probably need it."

"Jack? Why are you letting me go?"

He smiles mysteriously. "Because," he says, "You're one of us now." And with that he walks off, and I hurry to catch up.

What the hell did he mean by that?


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry 'bout the delay. Writer's block, work, school, and finals have been taking up most of my time lately.

And major thanks goes out to the lovely Lisa for beta-ing.

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

The man called Captain Jack and I walk in silence for a while.

I'm starting to think I might have hit my head harder than I previously thought, because undertaking a rescue mission is something I, in my normal, sane state, would never do. It's so totally out-of-character for me that Jack keeps sending me sidelong glances, like he expects me to suddenly reveal that I'm one of the aliens he spends his time fighting.

I don't know what I'm doing, and I'm really hoping I don't screw up by doing something stupid like announcing our presence or getting us captured so that we're of no use to Martha and the Doctor, wherever they are.

According to Jack, Martha's probably just a captive somewhere and the Doctor's trying to secure her freedom, making stuff up as he goes along. Trouble is, while he normally succeeds, the Doctor doesn't plan ahead very well, and usually almost gets himself (as well as Jack and Martha) killed in the process.

It's not reassuring.

"Katie?" I blink.

"Huh?"

"Are you all right?" I stare at Jack, confused.

"Um. Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Jack sort of shrugs. "You look a little dizzy," I shake my head.

"I'm fine, Jack. I'm not going to faint or anything." He nods, accepting this for now, but says nothing. We continue to walk.

"So, um," I start, in an effort to break the awkward silence, "d'you know what we're looking for?"

Jack shrugs. "I guess… Find something conspicuous. Something that doesn't belong," he adds quickly at my blank look. I start to tell him that I _know _what the word "conspicuous" means, but something up ahead stops me.

"Uh…Will that work?" I ask, pointing. Jack's eyes follow my finger, and he grins.

"That'll do it!" he says happily.

It's… well… a Disney castle. I swear it looks _exactly _like one of those castles from the Princess movies, the ones I used to watch when I was like five. It's even sort of pink.

Could they pick a more obvious place?

* * *

Jack flashes his blank piece of paper at the guards.

"It's slightly psychic," he says, with the air of someone who's explained this countless times over and is getting kind of sick of it. "Shows them whatever I want them to see."

Uh, okay. If you say so. He doesn't tell me what it said, but I guess that if it works, it doesn't really matter.

Besides, it got us in, didn't it?

We make our way down the entrance hall. Jack says he's seen places like this before, and I wonder if the whole universe has seen Disney.

Actually, that wouldn't surprise me.

Anyway, he says the room we want will be at the end of the hall, so we keep walking, and we are ambushed by more guards.

One of them brandishes a knife at me. I step back and end up tripping over Jack, who manages (somehow) to catch me before I hit the floor.

They demand to see our identification. Shrugging, Jack fishes the leather wallet out of his pocket and flashes the psychic paper at them. The guard attacking me puts his knife away, and I glare at him

They wave us through, bowing slightly, and we continue.

* * *

I'm still not sure what's going on.

We've reached the… audience…room…thing. The (I guess) ruler guy is sitting in a big chair at the end of the room, with Martha on a smaller chair by his side. She's staring straight ahead, unmoving, barely blinking. She doesn't acknowledge our entrance.

Meanwhile, the Doctor's standing in front of them, pacing back and forth and occasionally in circles, gesticulating wildly and doing what I can only describe as "emoting". He's good. I have no idea what he's going on about—I'm not listening to what he's saying—but whatever it is, he's obviously completely absorbed in what must be a moving and eloquent monologue.

The ruler-guy says nothing. He just watches the Doctor, looking supremely unconcerned. As for Martha, I don't think she's listening or paying attention either. Her expression remains blank and she doesn't move or draw any attention to herself. I think she's hoping the ruler-guy will have forgotten she's sitting next to him.

In fact, there's only one sign that she's perfectly aware of herself and isn't under some sort of mind control. Her hands are clasping the armrests of her chair desperately, her knuckles turning white, and an occasional panicked look crosses her face. Just barely, but it's there, I think.

"Katie?" Jack whispers in my ear. I flinch uncomfortably but don't say anything. "When I tap your shoulder, go to her and lead her out. Just walk out, don't run unless you have to, and _don't_ look back. The Doctor's got him distracted." I nod.

The Doctor continues to emote at the ruler-guy. Both seem incredibly engrossed in their one-sided conversation. He doesn't look at Martha. Neither does the Doctor, and I figure that's his way of making sure the ruler-guy doesn't remember she's there.

Jack taps my shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, I tell myself I can do this. I don't like the idea, but I don't think I have much choice, so I nod shortly and go to stand behind Martha.

"Come on," I mutter in her ear. "Jack's got a plan, and the Doctor's got the ruler-guy distracted. Now's our chance."

She says nothing, but stands up as quietly as possible. "Walk," I tell her. "Don't run. Not unless we have to. Just walk out like it's the most natural thing in the world. I'm right behind you."

She nods again and begins to walk out. I follow. The ruler-guy screams. Blaster fire follows, and more screaming, this time in the Doctor's and Jack's voices, and the clanging of metal.

True to Jack's orders, I don't turn around. I don't look back.

Martha tries to return to her companions. I stop her. "No," I hiss. "Jack said no. I can't… _We _can't…"

She ignores me, pushes me out of the way, and runs off to rejoin the others. Swearing irritably, I follow.


	11. Chapter 11

Terribly sorry for the delay--finals have been taking up all my time. I'm out of school now, so hopefully updates will come faster.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

* * *

"Katie? Aren't you coming?" Martha calls over her shoulder. I swear and hurry to catch up. No, I'd rather not, but if she's going...

Besides, I'd prefer not to be alone here. And that thought leads to another: I'd rather not be here in the first place. I'd rather be at home, even where I hated everyone and pretty much everyone hated me, because I'm sick of being the third wheel.

Yeah, I know, I'm not the third. I'm the fourth. I still maintain that the analogy works. I'm the interloper, the useless girl, who only beat her first alien menace out of sheer luck, and anyway it was really the man called Captain Jack who finished her off.

So I jog after Martha in an effort to keep up. This is stupid, this is pointless, this is going against Jack's orders (though, as Martha pointed out earlier, we aren't Torchwood and he has no authority to give us orders. I didn't bother to ask what Torchwood is).

* * *

Martha and I run back into the audience-room. Apparently, the Doctor and the man called Captain Jack are perfectly fine. The Doctor barely looks ruffled and Jack's laughing. His right sleeve is torn.

The ruler-guy is nowhere in sight.

Martha and I exchange a glance. "I'm not even gonna ask," Martha says. Fine by me; I don't really want to know.

"Right then. Onwards and upwards!" the Doctor says. Martha loops her arm through his, and they walk off. Jack shrugs and follows, and a moment later, so do I.

* * *

"You love him." 

Martha stares at me incredulously. She looks somewhere between annoyed and surprised.

"That obvious?" I shrug, and she sighs. "God, Katie. Everyone notices except him. Even you picked up on it."

I glare at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh..." She blinks, taken aback. "I dunno. I don't have any right to judge you, because I barely know you, and... I guess that's the point. You're quiet and don't seem to care about anything, and..."

"And I don't really want to be here," I finish. She nods.

"So, the Doctor doesn't notice," I say quickly, trying to steer the subject away from my issues. It works, because Martha closes her eyes and shakes her head.

"He's nice and all that, and we're friends, but..." She opens her eyes. "Before I showed up there was this girl, his other companion. Rose. And he lost her. And even when he's grinning there's sadness. I'm not a replacement and I never can be, it's just... I want him to see _me._"

I nod, unsure of what to say. I'm not good with this stuff, but I guess if I just sit here and let Martha talk, it'll work out.

"Not only that," she continues, "but he's reckless. He jumps headlong into danger, and it's like he doesn't care if he dies. He... On one of my early trips, we went to Manhattan and there were these Daleks, and... And he asked them to kill him. He had a good reason, it turned out, but for a moment there--more than a moment, really--it was like he really wanted to die. and I couldn't stop him."

She stops talking abruptly and stands up. "Thanks for listening, Katie. I think I just needed to get that out."

And with that, she leaves. Words swirl around in my head messily, and I can't focus.

I think I'm getting more involved than I want to.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

* * *

So, as far as I can tell, here's the story so far:

This ordinary human girl from the early twenty-first century has been living in Nowheresville, Kansas for all sixteen years of her life. One day, boom, everything's gone. Just like that. Friends, family... everything she's ever known is gone. Not like she was that close to anyone or even particularly liked her life, but all the same. It's gone.

Then this man called the Doctor shows up out of nowhere with a blue box that he says travels through time and space. Oh, and he's an alien. The girl agrees to go with him and lies about her age because what else is she supposed to do? She travels with him and his other two companions, a girl called Martha Jones and a man called Captain Jack, and she meets and fights aliens but through it all she doesn't want to be there.

And then before she knows it the girl called Martha Jones is pouring out her heart, and she realizes there's no going back.

* * *

I just sit here, not moving, after Martha takes off. I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to do. This whole time I've been trying to figure out a way to leave, because I still don't want to be here. But I'm only sixteen, despite what I told the Doctor and Captain Jack and Martha.

Jack pokes his head around the corner. Speak of the Devil.

"You all right?" he asks. I shrug, and he comes in and sits next to me. "Katie?"

"Fine. Yeah. Great," I say distractedly. He stares at me, this piercing gaze that makes me wonder if I should just fork over my mind and be done with it, because apparently he can read my thoughts.

I meet his eyes just the same, trying to bore my way into his head and failing quite miserably.

"Katie?"

"Hmm?"

"What's bothering you?"

I think about that. What _is _bothering me? The fact that I lied, the fact that I don't want to be here, the fact that Martha just poured out her heart to me, the fact that even now I don't know if I care, the fact that I'm becoming more a part of this stupid group than I ever intended? Or the fact that I'm beginning to realize that maybe I do care about being here despite all my insistence to the contrary?

"I don't know," I say, and for once I'm completely honest. "I really have no idea."

Jack continues to stare at me, then--totally at random--says: "What did you lie about?"

_Huh? _I stare at him incredulously.

"You lied about something," Jack says. "You lied to him. What about?"

My first impulse is to say "everything", but I manage not to. "What makes you think I lied about anything?" I ask carefully. Much better.

Apparently I can think before speaking. Huh. Go figure.

"Come on, Katie," Jack laughs. "I used to be a conman. I can tell when someone's been dishonest. What about?"

"You used to be a conman?" I ask. It's a legitimate question, I think, and it steers the conversation away from myself. I don't like talking about me.

"Yeah. That's how I first met the Doctor and his other companion, a girl called Rose. He looked a lot different back then. Anyway, I thought they were Time Agents and I attempted to con them."

I smile despite myself. "You tried to _con _him?" I ask incredulously, ignoring the other three important facts that I should probably have asked about as well: Rose, looking different, and Time Agents. Still, Jack grins and nods. "How'd he take it?"

"Would have left my ship to explode if Rose hadn't convinced him otherwise," he says. I study his expression. There's no anger there, at least not about that incident. "Now, come on, Katie."

I shake my head. "No. Nothing. Everything's perfect. Where're we going now?" Once again, an attempt to change the subject. I'm getting rather good at this.

"Doc says he needs a break. He's taking us on vacation, though he won't say where. And you still haven't answered my question."

I close my eyes. "Come back in two weeks, and if I'm still around, I'll tell you." With that, I get up and leave, hoping it's frustratingly enigmatic enough. That, and it gives me time to think.

For now, I join the Doctor in the main control room and stare over his shoulder at the monitor (which he knows full well I can't read) until he glares at me, annoyed. I pretend to ignore it.

Then, suddenly, it hits me. _I'm part of this trip to hell and back. I'm becoming one of them, part of this group that defies death for fun. _And I wonder if I'll ever be able to leave, even though it's what I want.

Isn't it?


	13. Chapter 13

Apologies for the delays... again... winces

Oh, and Random Tidbit That You Probably Don't Care About: This chapter's planet was named by me bashing my head against the keyboard and taking out the numerals/punctuation.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

"I thought we could take a breather," the Doctor says happily. Martha and I exchange a glance. 

"Er, Doctor?" Martha says. "Since when do you 'take breathers'?"

He gives her a hurt look. "Aw, come on! It'll be nice!"

"Can we go to a beach?" I blurt out without thinking. Everyone goes silent. The tension increases tenfold. "Or the mountains," I add quickly. "Yeah. Mountains."

Jack relaxes next to me, and the Doctor gives himself a shake. "Mountains sounds good," he says quietly, then flips some levers and pushes some buttons with a faraway look in his eyes. "Mountains of Assoniausel."

Though everyone's back to more or less normal, there's still something that makes me feel nervous. Like I did something wrong by mentioning a beach.

I grab the man called Captain Jack by the sleeve and drag him over to the side. He grins at me.

"Yes?"

"What was that about?" I demand.

"What was what about?"

I glare. "Don't be stupid. Why'd you all react that way when I mentioned a beach?"

Jack shakes his head. "I don't think I'm the right person to tell you that, Katie," he says. "When the Doctor's ready, he'll let you know. For now... just stay away from the subject of beaches."

"Yeah. Okay." And I will, too. Because I don't want to see any of these people hurt, because I don't want to be the cause of the Doctor's pain, and because...

Because I really don't care.

I don't.

* * *

"Wow," Martha gasps as we step out of the TARDIS into the fresh powdery snow. There's a lodge a little way down a hill--the type of mountain lodge you see in movies where the stars go to some fancy ski resort in Colorado. 

I just nod. It _is _pretty. Snow is falling lightly and the view is just spectacular. Only problem is that it's freezing.

"It's a human settlement," the Doctor explains. "Mountains planet. They decided to build a huge ski resort. Welcome to Assoniausel."

"It's gorgeous," I say, then duck back into the TARDIS.

"Katie?" Jack asks. For some reason he seems to be the only one who actually cares about me. It's kind of strange. "Where are you going?"

"Wardrobe. Need heavy coat or I'm gonna turn into a Popsicle."

He laughs. "No cold winters where you come from?"

"Actually," I point out, "we had freezing in winter, violent storms in spring and fall, and intense heat in summer. And we've got tornadoes. I've seen a few, but only one touch down." I shrug. "American Midwest. Crazy weather. Used to it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

With that, I head off in search of something warm.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later we're in the lodge. Martha's in her normal clothes, as are the Doctor and Jack (though they've also got their overcoats on). I'm in a heavy black cloak, snowboots, and the warmest sweatpants I could find. I hate cold. 

But I have to admit it's very pretty. And the hot chocolate here is really good. With extra marshmallows.

"Have you ever skied before?" the Doctor asks me, almost at random. I stare at him.

"Last time I checked, Kansas doesn't have mountains."

"Yeah, but... holiday? Ever?"

I shake my head. "Nope. Never left my hometown. Pathetic, I know. You've seen it. Tiny little thing in the middle of nowhere?"

"Do you want to learn?"

Um. No. Not really. At all. "Sure."

Wait. What?

Did I just agree?

"Great! We'll all go skiing tomorrow!" he says happily. I want to bash my head against the table.

* * *

I can't ski. 

Hell, I can't even get up. Two seconds in, and I'm already on my ass in the snow and I can't get up. Martha's fallen too, but she manages to get herself up. She goes down a little farther, hits a bump, and falls again. At least I'm not the only one.

The Doctor and the man called Captain Jack seem to be experts, though.

Jack offers me the end of one of his poles. I take it and he helps me up. I continue down the hill.

And crash into a tree.

* * *

"I'm never doing that again," I decide as we head back into the lodge. I'm aching all over and my head is killing me, but Martha says I don't have a concussion. Still hurts like hell, though. 

The others are happy. Martha's improved a whole lot--she can go down a bunny hill without falling--and the Doctor and Jack are still experts. I still fall a lot.

Jack grins and the Doctor laughs. "Come on, Katie! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Must've left it in the room. Where I'm going now. For a hot bath and a nap. Call me at dinner, will you?" I don't wait for their answers. I get out of there as fast as possible, because if I don't, I'll start joking and laughing about how I am incapable of skiing.

And that scares me, it really does. I don't want this group to be my new family. I've survived sixteen years almost entirely on my own; I think I can handle myself without developing dangerous attachments.

Which is what this is totally becoming.


End file.
